Fine needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of malignancy is a well established procedure. Slide preparations for cytological staining are often made as smears directly from the needle. This technique requires a great deal of expertise and is usually performed by the operating clinician, a cytotechnological or other qualified person. As a consequence, slides received by the laboratory can vary greatly in quality. Cellular damage arising from the method of smearing material onto the slides, unintentional air-drying and poor fixation are common occurences. Furthermore, from a diagnostic standpoint, only small amounts of material are sometimes aspirated from the fibrous tissues (such as breast lumps, from which a large percentage of total aspirates are taken). The cell block technique compensates for many of these disadvantages.